Baylor Bears defeat Minnesota Golden Gophers in Crown quarterfinals

Tounde Yessoufou and Obi Agbim lead Baylor to 67-48 victory, advancing to semifinals

Apr. 2, 2026 at 11:10am

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The Baylor Bears used a decisive 17-1 run early in the second half to pull away from the Minnesota Golden Gophers and win 67-48 in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas. Tounde Yessoufou scored 19 points and Obi Agbim added 17 for Baylor, who will face Oklahoma in the semifinals on Saturday. The Bears are guaranteed at least $50,000 in NIL money to be split among the players for their victory.

Why it matters

This win keeps Baylor's hopes alive for the lucrative College Basketball Crown championship, which awards significant NIL money to the players on the winning team. The Bears' second-half surge demonstrated their ability to pull away from opponents, a key trait for success in the tournament.

The details

After leading by five points at halftime, Baylor opened the second half on a 17-1 run, with Yessoufou scoring the first six points of the spurt. The Bears extended their lead to as many as 21 points before Minnesota made a late push to cut the deficit to 12, but Baylor was able to close out the victory. Cameron Carr added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Bears, who held the Golden Gophers to just 38.8% shooting.

  • Baylor led by five points at halftime, 31-26.
  • Baylor opened the second half on a 17-1 run over the first six minutes.
  • Minnesota cut the deficit to 12 points with 8:01 left in the game.

The players

Tounde Yessoufou

A Baylor player who scored 19 points in the game, including the first six points of Baylor's decisive second-half run.

Obi Agbim

A Baylor player who scored 17 points in the game, including a 3-pointer that helped Baylor build their lead in the first half.

Cameron Carr

A Baylor player who scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in the game.

Cade Tyson

A Minnesota player who led all scorers with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

Langston Reynolds

A Minnesota player who scored 13 points in the game.

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What they’re saying

“We must have made some great adjustments at halftime because we came out and really took control of the game in the second half.”

— Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor Player

What’s next

Baylor will face Oklahoma in the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown tournament on Saturday. The winner of that game is guaranteed at least $50,000 in NIL money to be split among the players.

The takeaway

Baylor's decisive second-half run demonstrated their ability to pull away from opponents, a valuable trait for success in the high-stakes College Basketball Crown tournament. The Bears' balanced scoring attack and stifling defense proved too much for Minnesota to overcome.